The present invention relates to a smoking apparatus and, more particularly, to a smoke filtering apparatus in which the smoke from the tobacco passes through a filtering medium prior to being drawn into the smoker's mouth.
Waterpipes and the like in which smoke from the tobacco or other such smokable material is drawn through a liquid filtering medium such as water prior to entering the smoker's mouth have been used for many years. Examples of such smoking devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 44,414, 848,424 and 1,579,703.
Most prior art smoke filtering devices such as those shown in the aforementioned patents either employ containers which are specifically made for the filtering apparatus and which contain the filtering medium or utilize glass jars and other glass vessels as the container for the filtering medium. Such specially designed containers are generally difficult to clean and, in addition, make the apparatus more expensive to manufacture. Glass jars, glasses, etc. while they are cheaper, easier to clean and readily available suffer from the disadvantage that they are susceptable to breakage and are generally heavier than metal containers thus making them more difficult to manipulate. Additionally, since most glass containers are transparent, the tars and oils which collect on the inside of the glass containers and in the filtering medium present a most unsavory sight and detract from the smoker's pleasure.
In recent years, the so called "pop-top" can has become quite popular as a container for beer, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, etc. Even more recently the so called "press tab" can has come into existence. Pop-top or press tab cans generally have a keyhole shaped or rounded, triangular opening in the top which is sealed by a metal closure member. The metal closure member can be separated from the can leaving the keyhole shaped opening in the top of the can either by depressing the closure member inwardly of the can (press tab can) or by using a pull ring attached to the closure member (pop top can). Since most of the pop-top or press tab cans are made of aluminum, they are quite lightweight. Accordingly, a smoke filtering apparatus which could employ such a can as a container for the filtering medium would be most advantageous.